IBM, DELCO ELECTRONICS, SEIKO

Telecommunication and partners announce "hands on" plan for commute of
the future
Business Editors
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 1994--The commute of the future
is at hand, said a consortium of private and public organizations that
will display "intelligent" electronic traffic and commute services on
wrist watches, portable computers and car stereos.
The consortium, involving consumer and electronics industry giants,
announced it has received $5.5 million in state and federal government
funding to test a high-speed FM subcarrier data broadcast system for
disseminating en route information to consumers through affordable,
reliable, multi-use devices. The long-term goal for this test is to
help drivers and commuters determine the most time-efficient and
cost-effective ways to reach their destinations, while reducing
congestion on the country's busy streets and highways.
This group, called the Seattle Consortium for IVHS (Intelligent
Vehicle Highway Systems) Technologies, consists of International
Business Machines Inc. (IBM), Delco Electronics Corp., Seiko
Telecommunication Systems Inc., the Washington State Department of
Transportation, the University of Washington, the King County
Department of Metropolitan Services, Etak Inc., and Metro Traffic
Control.
Working together, these organizations will make the following
types of information available on familiar mass market products:
-- Descriptions of major traffic incidents, road construction sites
and major highway lane volume;
-- City maps with mass transit vehicle locations;
-- Car navigation information based on a Global Positioning System;
-- Route schedules for buses, ferries and other mass transit
options;
-- Automated ride-share programs that match people to car pools;
-- Personal information services (paging messages, weather
forecasts, sports scores, ski condition reports, winning lottery
numbers, etc.) for keeping people in touch when on the go.
The two-year test, worth more than $7 million, is unique in that it
will add traffic and commute services to existing products, rather than
create new, dedicated, single-function IVHS products which can be
costly to consumers. The consortium will simply enhance products that
are commonly used throughout the day for business or personal reasons.
The test will be conducted in the Seattle metropolitan area.
This test is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's IVHS
Strategic Plan aimed at improving the operational efficiency of the
nation's surface transportation system. This strategic plan is
expected to require a public infrastructure investment on the order of
$40 billion over the next 20 years. End-user spending for products and
services over that same period could reach $170 billion or more,
depending on market response. The Seattle Consortium test will be the
first to integrate existing technologies with traveler information
from multiple services and will deliver this IVHS information in
real-time to a variety of affordable and easy-to-use multiple-purpose
devices.
Just as radios receive music via FM radio waves, the devices under
the Seattle Consortium test will receive and display data from FM
subcarrier radio signals. The communications backbone that will
transmit data for this IVHS test is the High Speed Data System (HSDS)
wireless networking protocol developed by Seiko Telecommunication
Systems Inc. The company's HSDS system is currently under evaluation
by the National Radio Standards Committee to become the standard for
high speed FM subcarrier data broadcast systems. This FM
subcarrier-based network will transmit traffic and commute information
to devices housing the Advanced Communication and Timekeeping
Technology (ACTT) data receiver chip set, also developed by Seiko
Telecommunication Systems.
The consumer devices that will incorporate the ACTT data receiver
chip set as part of this test include an IBM portable personal
computer, a Delco Electronics in-vehicle radio receiver and the
MessageWatch from Seiko Telecommunication Systems. Each of these
products will have different capabilities, as described below:
IBM Portable Personal Computer -- An HSDS communications module
will be attached to the portable computer so it can receive and display
alphanumeric travel information transmitted over the network. In
addition to standard personal computer functionality, the product will
offer:
-- Road network maps displaying real-time traffic conditions (in
text and/or graphics)
-- Mass transit schedules
-- Real-time mass transit vehicle locations
-- Automated ride-share information
-- Suggested routes to key destinations
-- Paging messages and personal information services
Delco Electronics Car Radio Receiver -- The HSDS module will be
integrated into the Delco Electronics Radio Receiver, making this
product a quality car radio that also offers alphanumeric displays of:
-- Vehicle location and guidance (using a Global Positioning System
enhanced by differential GPS correction information)
-- Traffic congestion and incident messages localized to the
current vehicle location and the intended route of travel
-- Paging messages and personal information services
Seiko Telecommunication Systems MessageWatch -- An electronic
timepiece, pager and personal data receiver in a wrist watch. The
model used for this test will display two lines of 12 alphanumeric
characters and will offer a scrolling button to view multiple screens.
Features include:
-- Traffic incident reports localized to areas of interest to users
-- Paging messages and personal information services
For this Seattle-based test, these products will be supported by
information provided by the following organizations:
Washington State Department of Transportation -- will gather and
process traffic data for transmission.
King County Department of Metropolitan Services -- will provide bus
location data and mass transit schedule information.
University of Washington -- will provide the technical expertise
needed to prepare and format data collected from the above mentioned
organizations for sending to the end user devices.
Etak Inc. -- will provide digital map databases and software tools
for the Metro Traffic and IBM products for display of real-time traffic
and transit data, business listings for the Delco Electronics offering
and a geographic traffic data-entry terminal for Metro Traffic.
Metro Traffic Control -- will collect and provide traffic advisory
information relating to major traffic incidents.
The test will begin this year with official system design and
development and will run through the end of 1996.
For more information on each company's specific role in the Seattle
Consortium for IVHS Technologies test, contact the following people:
Delco Electronics Corp.
Rob Leggat, Manager of Public Affairs 317/451-0657
Etak Inc.
Les Goldberg 714/545-3117
Larry Sweeney, VP, Government Programs 415/328-3825
International Business Machines
Denos Gazis, Assistant Director, Systems,
Technology and Science 914/945-2176
King County Department of Metropolitan Services
Dan Williams 206/684-1151
Catherine Bradshaw, Capital Project Coordinator,
Sales & Customer Service 206/684-1770
Metro Traffic Control 415/974-1890
Joan Ravier, Director of Information Services 415/945-6855
(pager)
Seiko Telecommunication Systems Inc.
Dan Stevens (Access PR) 415/904-7070 x265
Mike Park, VP of Business and Network
Development 503/531-1517
University of Washington
Mark Haselkorn, Professor/Chairman,
Technical Communication College of Engineering 206/543-2577
Daniel J. Dailey, Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering 206/543-2493
Washington State Department of Transportation
Peter Briglia, IVHS Program Manager 206/543-3331